Hammer having shock-absorbing handle



July 15, 1952 A. E. FLOREN HAMMER HAVING SHOCK ABSORBING HANDLE 2 SHEETSSHEET 1 Filed Jan. 10, 1948 INVENTOR. flxel E. Floren July 15, 1952 A. E. FLOREN 2,603,260

HAMMER HAVING SHOCK ABSORBING HANDLE Filed Jan. 10, 1948 2 SHEETS--SHEET 2 INVENTOR.

igkeZ E FZ rzn Patented July 15, 1952 UNITED STATES PATENT Axel E. Floren, Klamath Falls, Oreg.

Application January 10, 1948, Ser ial No. 1,555

4 Claims.

My invention relates to striking tools, and is illustrated as being incorporated in a hand hammer. The object of my inventionis to reduce shock incident to the use of a steel shanked handle which is integral with the striking end of a hammer or other striking tool.

At the present time, hammers are on the market in which the handles or shanks are steel and integral with the hammer head, and they are provided with a grip made of some nonmetallic substance such as leather. A workman, in using such a steel shanked hammer, however, becomes tired because of the strain on the workmans arm and the shock incident to resisting repeated blows struck by the hammer.

My invention is attained by making a hammer or other striking tool with a head and an integral steel shank and encompassing said shank with a tubular grip, which is pivotally joined to the shank at a point spaced substantially from the butt end of the latter so that said hammer has a flail-like action. Separating said tubular grip and the shank of said handle is an elastic medium, such, for example, as a tubular section of rubber, which bears tightly against the bore of said grip and the external surface of said shank. Preferably, said elastic spacing medium is made in a plurality of annular courses, spaced apart. One of said courses should be arranged adiacent the pivotal connection between the grip and the shank of the hammer, and another of said courses should be arranged adjacent the butt end of the grip. Said elastic media, thus separated, spaces said handle or shank of the hammer from said grip and absorb shock incident to the striking of the hammer. In this way, shock is absorbed and is not transmitted to the hand of the workman. A'furtlier and more specific object of my invention is to provide a hammer of this character in which the parts are pivotally joined together, the butt end of said grip has an end cap removably secured to the grip, and an elastic bumper is compressibly arranged between said cap and the end of the shank or handle of said hammer to resist longitudinal movement of said shank or handle within said grip.

A further and more specific object of my invention'is to provide a simple structure, in a, device of thischaracter, in which the parts may easily be replaced if worn, broken or impaired in their function. 1

Further and other details of my invention, and

the mode of construction and operation thereof,

are hereinafter described with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is an elevation of a hand hammer embodying my invention, portions of the grip and end cap thereof being shown broken away to disclose details of construction;

Fig. 2 is a sectional view taken on the line 22 head is a shank or handle 2.

in Fig. 1, with other portions shown broken away toillustrate the manner in which the grip and the shank or handle of the hammer are-joined together by a pivotal connectiomsaid parts being spaced apart by an annular, elastic spacing'element;

Fig. 3 is an end elevation of the end cap for a hammer embodying my invention, shown detached from the grip and the handle of said hammer;

Fi 4 is a transverse view taken on the line 4-4 in Fig. 1, illustrating the manner in which the butt end of the hammer shank or handle is constructed;

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary elevation of a hammer handle with a modified type of grip and spacing member separating said grip from the handle or shank of a hammer or other striking tool;

Fig. 6 is a smaller fragmentary section of the butt end of a still further modification of --my invention, illustrating the manner in which a flexible steel spring may be substituted for rubber or other elastic material, as in the previous modifications; and

Fig. 7 is a fragmentary elevation, with portions shown broken away, of a still further modification of my invention, in which the end cap may be detachably secured to the butt end of the hammer handle and the encompassing grip therefor.

Referring, first, to the embodiment of my invention illustrated in Figs. 1 to 4, inclusive:

- A striking tool embodying my invention is illustrated as a hammer having a striking head I.

striking action extends normal to the face la,

and said plane would lie parallel with the of the drawing, as is shown in Fig; 1. a

Integral therewith or securely attached to said Said shank or handle is elongated and usually is made of small cross-sectional area, compared to that of the head, so as to give the latter good striking qualities. Encompassing said shank or handleis a tubular grip 3 extending from the butt end 2a of the shank or handle a substantial distance. Usually the portion of the shank or handle immediately'adjacent the head isnot sheathed by said tubular grip. The length of said grip is dictated by convenience and by the balance of said hammer. Said grip comprisesa, metallic tube 3a, with a nonmetallic gripping urface prefplane 3 erably provided by a series of abutting leather annuli 3b secured thereto. The forward end of said metallic tube preferably is uncovered by said annuli and is of substantially thicker section, as is shown in Fig. 1. Extending through said forward end is a bolt 4, or other connection, which provides a pivotal connection between said grip at its end adjacent the striking:

head I of the hammer and the shank or handle." As is shown in Fig. 2, this connection may bemade by an interthreaded machine screw, which provides a secure joint but one which may-easily be replaced or removed to permit repair or re I preferably provide a ferrule 9, surrounding the reduced butt end of the shank or handle and lying within the bore of the bumper 6 which is annular, conforming in peripheral outline to that of the bore of the tubular grip 3. Said ferrule tends to prevent the bumper from crushing down about the reduced end, which does not extend to the inner face'of the cap, as is shown in Fig. 1.

placement of the parts secured to each other by '7 saidbolt.

Tfl-Biile. bf said tubular glfl'pisflalfg er f than tIl cites-sectionalperiphe y o f tl' i shank eihandle, althougliv sai'aipsrts' conform more or less inoiit line- Lying between said shank orhandle and said grip is an annular elastic member orfirst resilient spacer 5. Rubber. is a very desirable material of which to make said member, but any material having similar characteristicsmay be used. It is to be noted that said elastic member extends beyond'the forward end 30 of the tubular grip, and said elastic member is compressed substantially when the parts are fitted together. This tends to provide the necessary cushion between the shank and saidgrip, and also tends to provide adirt and water seal so as to prevent water or foreign material from moving down said shank and into the bore ofsaid' grip. The bore of said-grip is tapered, diverging toward the butt end thereof, as is shown in Fig. -1. That is to say; there is-greater space between the bore of said grip and the periphery of the shank at the butt end of the handleor shank than at the forward end 30 of said grip. Said taper permitsthe parts to becomeyseparated more easily when the bolt-4 =is 'removed for repair or replacement of the parts of said striking tool. a

Thegbutt-endzaof the shank or-handle is re-.- lieved and an annular bumper or second resilient spacer E is fitted thereon. The periphery of said bumper engages the bore of'the tubulargrip, and -it is'desirable that said bumper belfitted tightly in placeand be subject-to substantial compression when fitted in place- Over the butt end 3d of the grip, liprovide axmetallic cap '1. The metallic tube is extended at 88a to form two projecting :nibs; and registering slots "la are "adapt'edto register therewithand to slide thereov'er; Said riibs may then be upset, riveted or welded the'rein, as is'shown'in Fig.1,so t-hatsaid cap .fits tightly against the butt end of the grip and against the :outer annulus "secured thereto.

' It 'is preferable that the bumper 6 be of such lehgthasto be subject tolongitudirial com res 'sion when the capfis' ilttcdi as is shown in Fig. 1'. This crowds said bumper ana -compresses it, and causes ittofill the entire space about the red-uced butt entiahd to lie closely withinthe bore of the metallic tube 3a andagains't the inner face of said cap "I. The compression of said bumper serves, alsoyas a seal to prevent moisture and foreign matter froz'nzpassing from the butt'end 'into'the space between the shank and the bore: of the tube; =It performs-another;valuable function: It serves as an elastic bumpento absorb end play .of the shank or "handlewithin the tubular grip -3. Also, the butt end of the grip is frequently used byfcaipenters and other workers for tamping. jSaidrubber bumper serves to prevent the parts em" separating or becoming loose, if said tampin: action tends to distort or loosen the parts.

Next, referring to the modification shown in Fig. 5:

In this modification, the shank o1; handle III of a hammer'or other striking tool is the same as in the first embodiment, as is the grip I I and the pivotally mounted fastening bolt I2. In this modification, howevenfl I provide. an annular elastic sheathing memberor resilient spacerflil, which extends .c'oinple-tely about the here time gripTl and about the underlying portion of the shank orhan-dle. Said annular elastic sheathing member extends from a point sli'ghtlyforward of the grip H, and extends completely about the shank or handle, even about the butt end Illa thereon In this modification, I have illustrated how the end cap 1'4 may more'easily be removed from the grip. 'fIhis is provided by extending nibs or tongues Ila outwardly from the grip and threading them. lf'iollow shank machine screws 15 maybe threaded-on to said nibs or tongues to hold said end eap -tightly against and in compressive relationship with that portion of the annular elastic sheathing member which lies rearwardly of thebutt end of the shank or handle to. This induces compression in said portion of the sheathing member to resist end thrusts between the shank'and said-grip. v

' Referring; next, to the modification shown in Fig. 6: i

In this modification, the butt end ISa of the shank-or h'andle'of a striking tool is relieved and provided with a rounded end 1627. A U-shaped, flexible steel'spring 'l-l encircles said reduced end and is secured thereto by a-screw 18. The legs of saidspring are bowed outwardly and bear against the bore 190. of the tubular grip l9. Said flexible steel spring serves to absorb shock and, elastically, to space the end of said shank or handle from =th'egrip thereof in a manner similar to the bumperG in the first em'bodiment and the annularelastic sheathing member l'3 in the modification "shown in Fig. 5. -It is not, however, susceptibleof resisting end play, as are said elastic memhers previously described, nor does it seal the butt :end ofsaidshank or'handlewithirrthe'overlyingportionsof the grip'or'with the end cap 20.

'In the modification illustrated in Fig. 7, I illustrat'ea bumper 2 l, similar-to the bumper Gin Fig. 1, mounted upon the reduced portion 22ofthe butt end orthe shank'orhandle 23. The grip 24 has threaded extensions zda'formed thereon for receiving hollow shanked machine screws 2 5 for holding end cap 26 upon the tubular grip 24. Said ma-chine screws and their threaded connections with extensions 24a tend to causethe end cap to be pulled tightly against the griparid to compress said bumper between the butt' end or the shank-and theinner faceof the end cap 26. A ferrule Z'L'Similar to the ferrule 9 in Figs. '1 to :4, tendsto preVent'said bumper from collapsing about the reduced'portion 22 of the shank, which is spacedfrom the inner face of the end cap 26. V A striking toolembodying my invention oper ates as follows: 7 v

As has been pointed Out a-ham mer is adapted to be swung in aplane parallel to the plane of Fig. lof the drawings, and because of the pivoted connection between the shank and the grip, it has a limited, flail-like action. That is to say, the pivoted connection between said shank and said grip is adapted to permit limited angular movement between said shank and said grip upon an axis extending through the pivoted connection. Said axis extends normal to the plane of the striking action. The pivot axis extends crosswise through said shank normal to, but spaced from, the longitudinal dimension of the elongated striking head i. As is noted in Fig. 2, the connection between the bolt 4 and the grip 3 is somewhat loose, and, in any event, is freely journalled. Thus, when the face of the striking head strikes a nail or other object, it is abruptly stopped, and, where it not for the elastic and pivoted arrangement of the parts, it would send a shock wave through the shank or handle into the hand of the workman wielding said striking tool, The articulation about the pivot absorbs part of this shock, and a substantial part of the remainder is absorbed by the elastic sheathing lying between the shank or handle and the bore of the grip. Said elastic sheathing is wedged quite tightly in place, and thus there is no feeling of looseness between the shank and said grip, but yet the elasticity or compressibility of said sheathing absorbs and dampens said shock wave. Because of the elasticity of said sheathing, the shank or handle is centered in the bore of the grip, and after absorbing said shock, it is returned to its normal position. The rubber bumper 6 likewise absorbs any end play or endwise shock, and returns the shank to the position shown in Fig. 1 when shock or pressure has subsided. I have found that if two of said annular shock absorbing elements are provided, one adjacent the axis of the bolt 4 and another adjacent the butt end of the grip and handle, said materials are efiiciently disposed, and if made of rubber or similar material, they are adequate for the purpose or" absoring shock and centering said shank.

B1 resisting heavier shocks and to provide a tighter fit between the shank and the grip, I provide the continuous sleeve-type annular elastic sheathing member, as in Fig. 5. Said continuous sheathing also prevents any foreign material seeping into and lodging between the external surface of the shank and the bore of the grip, because said sheathing occupies the entire space between said parts. If sealing is unimportant, shock may be absorbed by flexible leaf springs, as is shown in Fig. 6, and if it is necessary to replace the shock absorbing bumper 2i, this may be accomplished by the provision of a screw joint, as is shown in Fig. 7. The provision of screws, as in Fig. 7, may permit the bumper 2i to be replaced by removing the end cap 26, while the replacement of the elastic sheathing and shock absorbing members in Figs. 1 and 5 requires the grip to be removed to replace said parts.

As I have pointed out, myinvention is adapted to be used with any type striking tool, Whether it is for hammering, chipping, cutting, abrad- I claim:

1. A striking tool, comprising an elongated handle having a butt end and a striking end, an elongated striking head carried by said striking end and defining therewith a striking plane, a resilient spacer girding said striking end but spaced from said head, a hollow grip member encompassing said spacer and said handle but spaced from the latter, and a pivotal connection lying perpendicular to said striking plane and piercing said grip, spacer, and handle.

2. A striking tool, comprising an elongated handle having a butt end and a striking end, an elongated striking head carried by said striking end and defining therewith a striking plane, a resilient spacer girding the entire length of said handle from said butt end to said striking end but terminating at a point short of and spaced from said head, a hollow grip member encompassing said spacer and said handle but spaced from the latter, and a pivotal connection lying perpendicular to said striking plane and piercing said grip, said spacer, and the striking end of said handle.

3. A striking tool, comprising an elongated handle having a butt end and a striking end, an elongated striking head carried by said striking end and defining therewith a striking plane, a first resilient spacer girding said striking end but spaced from said head, a second resilient spacer girding said butt end, a hollow grip member encompassing both of said spacers and said handle but spaced from the latter, and a pivotalconnection lying perpendicular to said striking plane and piercing said grip, first spacer, and handle.

4. A striking tool, comprising an elongated handle having a butt end and a striking end,

' an elongated striking head carried by said striking end and defining therewith a striking plane, a first resilient spacer girding said striking end but spaced from said head, a second resilient ing, or any other function involving the striking of a blow by a tool, which shock may be transmitted from the head, through the handle or shankthereof, to the hand of the workman using said tool, and a hammer is shown only for the purpose of illustration.

spacer girding said, butt end and extending longitudinally therebeyond in a direction away from said striking end, a hollow grip member encompassing both of said spacers and said handle but spaced from the latter, an end cap detachably secured to that end of said grip which encompasses said second resilient spacer, said end cap being spaced from the butt end of said handle but being in abutment with said second resilient spacer, and a pivotal connection lying perpendicular to said striking plane and piercing said grip, first spacer, and handle.

AXEL E. FLOREN.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record intho file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 222,825 Isham Dec. 23, 1879 639,773 Robertson Dec. 26, 1899 1,694,559 Osgood Dec. 11, 1928 1,794,003 Forbes 1 Feb. 24, 1931 1,848,892 Kollmar Mar. 8, 1932 2,043,442 McNeil June 9, 1936 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 2,449 Great Britain Feb. 14, 1890 98,736 Sweden 1940 

